Going Home [Party on the Prairie 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) Read online

  “I’m meeting a possible housemate tomorrow,” Kira explained. “I have clients that want to see the merchandise up front and I don’t feel comfortable doing it alone.”

  “No shit!” Carmen swore. “Call me and I can fly in to be your little pet for a demonstration. My job can come with me. All I have to do is bring my laptop and I am connected to the office.”

  Kira smiled at her friend. Carmen was curvy, cute, and short. She often chided herself for being heavier but Kira had always thought that Carmen was beautiful and exotic. Carmen was also fiercely loyal to her friends. Kira was grateful for the loyalty. Kira knew first hand that friends didn’t come easy.

  “Where are you meeting the potential roommate?” Carmen asked.

  “At a public place,” Kira sighed. “I’m not an idiot.”

  Kira watched Carmen check her watch.

  “I’ve got to get you to the airport.” Carmen frowned. “I missed you.”

  “I missed you, too,” Kira said as she closed her eyes again. “I miss all of this. I miss real girls. I miss it being okay to be different.”

  “Well when I come up there, honey, I will show them different,” Carmen laughed.

  “Yeah, and then when they find out that you are staying with me, I’ll be labeled as more of a disappointment to society with my wicked ways.” Kira smirked as she thought of Carmen in her most seductive and skimpy outfit, walking through the Jack and Jill.

  “If they only knew all the ways that you are nasty and wicked, they would die from shock,” Carmen said, laughing at her friend.

  “One can only wish,” Kira replied seriously.

  * * * *

  Kira entered the farmhouse and went through her mail. Oil checks had been deposited into her several accounts and that made her happy but the silence in the house was driving her crazy.

  Kira went into her living room and looked at the black silk that covered her two sets of Pro Studio Mach II speakers. She smiled as she pulled her laptop out and plugged into her system. The lights in the room dimmed as the amplifier and tuner heated up. She selected her Midnight Syndicate file and let the dark, deep melodies shake the house as she turned off the lights and lit tall, black taper candles.

  * * * *

  Kira pulled the black Dodge into a parking space in front of Dixie’s Café in Keene. Yesterday she had been laying on a beach in Florida and today she was back to subzero temperatures with even worse windchills. Under her country attire she was wearing a pair of pretty panties and a matching bra. She managed to smile a little as she felt the thong adjust to her body as she climbed out of the truck. It was comforting in a weird way. She hadn’t lost herself. At least not completely.

  Kira sat at her usual table next to the window and pulled out her iPad, connected through her phone, and waited for Matt to come out and take her order. She made up her mind. She couldn’t do this pretending. Her feet hurt in the boots. She’d rather wear stilettos any day. She hated the clothes. She’d rather go naked. She wanted the shop and that was it, but it wasn’t worth this. It wasn’t worth her soul, unless this guy, Rock, could help and make the sacrifice worth it.

  A solid, muscular man appearing to be in his mid-forties came in the café. His soft brown hair was neatly trimmed and he had none of the balding that most of the men his age usually displayed. He had a mustache and goatee. The goatee displayed some silvery hairs along his strong jawline. He hollered a deep reverberating hello at Matt before he stomped his boots and snuggled up to the bar area as he ordered breakfast.

  Kira glanced at the man and then glanced outside. A maroon Dodge Ram 2500 sat next to her own truck, identical except for the color. The license plate was from Nebraska. Not native. She allowed herself a quick glance at the man, and when he turned to look at her, she glanced back down at her iPad. One look at those eyes and she knew she’d go all gooey inside. No need to get hopeful.

  Matt came over to Kira and pointed to the man at the bar. “That’s Rock,” he said and took her order.

  Kira peeked around Matt’s waist and glanced again at the man. Could that intense look really have been from a prospective housemate? Rock held up a peace sign and Kira couldn’t help but smile at him and reciprocated the peace sign.

  “He’s safe,” Matt said. “I’m watching.”

  Kira managed a feeble, “Okay.” Matt left and the man strode over to the table and sat across from her. He hadn’t asked her permission to sit, instead he had just sat down like she had invited him to join her.

  “I’m Rock Pyre,” the handsome man said as he extended a hand to her.

  Kira just looked at him. He had one eye that was dark green, the other was brown. The way that he walked, the way that he spoke, the way that he had sat down at her table and introduced himself said he had the edge.

  “Kira Knudson,” she replied and extended her hand. Kira noticed that his grip was firm and hard but not too overpowering. She shivered and Rock smiled a half-smile as he placed his hand back under the table. Kira knew not to get her hopes up because some men just naturally had the edge, but they didn’t know how to use it, or they were turned off by the lifestyle, or a thousand other reasons, such as being raised to be a good old country boy.

  “I need a place to stay and am willing to pay half of everything to have access to a shower, bed, and at least a hotplate to cook on,” Rock said. He was serious.

  Everything in Kira stirred as she let the low baritone of his voice run through her body. She mentally shook herself. She needed to keep hormones out of it. “Perhaps you should actually see the place first?”

  “Here are my references.” Rock handed over a plain black folder.

  Kira took it and examined the contents. Three references that were local, three that were not. Then what appeared to be basically a resume and a receipt that showed his bank balance, printed the day before.

  “I thought I’d be thorough,” Rock said when he noticed Kira look at the total on the bank slip. “I also wanted you to know that I can pay my rent.”

  “This is thorough, but I will need to still run a background check. My source has a form filled out for you to sign,” Kira admitted as she handed over the documents for Rock to sign. “Do you need anything from me? References perhaps?” She glanced through the resume that went back to when the man was twenty.

  “Just to see the place,” Rock said. “I can usually get a good feeling about a person by seeing their home. Plus, Matt gave me some information on you.”

  Kira’s eyes narrowed. “Really?”

  “All good things,” Rock said.

  Kira looked down at the folder and then at the door to the café. She didn’t want to go back outside into the blistering wind but she did want to call Gunner to get started on the background check. “I’ll be just a minute,” she said as she gathered her backpack.

  “Take as much time as you need,” Rock said and then he deliberately turned his chair to watch her leave the café. He yelled at Matt that she would be coming back and then continued to watch her as she climbed into her truck, started the vehicle, and made a phone call.

  Kira came back inside just as Matt set down two plates of food.

  “Well?” Rock asked. She had come inside sooner than he had expected.

  “I guess all you have to do now is see the place,” Kira said as she scooped her over-easy eggs onto a piece of toast. She added hash browns on top of the eggs, a slice of bacon, then another piece of toast. She picked up the breakfast sandwich and bit into it heartily. She looked up at Rock who was watching her eat with a smile on his face.

  “Why not just order a breakfast sandwich?” he asked as he cut into his steak and took a bite. Kira noticed that he barely smiled but had nice upper teeth. The bottoms were not quite as straight and Kira ran her tongue across her own bottom teeth, noting the slight imperfections.

  “Then the eggs aren’t runny.” Kira smiled as the yolks from her eggs ran down her finger and dropped onto the plate.

  Rock watched as
the blonde across from him licked the yolk off of her fingers instead of using a napkin. He raised an eyebrow and let a lip twitch in an attempt to smile. She was a curious piece of work. She had a great smile and the small lines around her lips showed that she smiled often.

  Rock had noticed the work-boots, faded jeans, and ugly sweatshirt. But there was something else. Something about her that made him think, just for a second, that she might not be like the other girls around town. Not like the married women who had propositioned him. She was cautious and wary. That meant that she hadn’t lived here all of her life. She knew stranger danger. It was a good sign, because he didn’t want to be the city boy of some farm girl’s dreams.

  Kira had directed the conversation back to Rock and they discussed his early years. He had lived on the streets for a while in his teens, been married, divorced, had two sons, both raised, was a grandpa to his oldest son’s twins, and was looking to retire early in a slower-paced area. He spoke of his early twenties when he kickboxed, bounced in bars, and finally decided to make his career by hauling freight. He had managed a terminal in Omaha, Nebraska but had left for the oil fields, the higher wage, and the prospect of scoping out some land for a future cabin to be his retirement home.

  Kira had offered only a little bit of information about herself. She had never been married, never had children, had joined the Marines directly out of high-school, did her four years of active duty, and then went to college during her four years of being on the inactive list. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in business. That’s when she had started making furniture, traveling, marketing, and meeting some amazing friends.

  Matt came and cleared the plates and looked at Kira. “You’re more tan,” Matt said. “That’s what’s different about you.”

  “I made a little trip to see a friend in Tampa.” Kira rolled her eyes. “Carmen, her name is Carmen and I’m not gay. She’s a good friend. I laid on the beach in shorts.”

  Rock looked at Kira but said nothing. That was not all there was to the story. The blush had been a tell-tale signal that the trip hadn’t been just talking to a friend while lying on a beach in the sun. He was sure she wasn’t gay. His gaydar hadn’t gone off. Still, there was something else that happened in Tampa. Probably not sex, the blush hadn’t been that deep. Now that was yet another interesting thing about the pretty little blonde.

  Rock reached for her bill and brushed Kira’s hand as he snatched it from her fingers. He shook his head as she opened her mouth to protest and she clamped her jaw shut.

  When Kira’s hand had brushed his she felt the fluttery feeling in her stomach. Maybe renting a space to Rock wasn’t such a good idea. But she had seen the resume. He was a former kickboxer, bouncer, and she had the feeling that he was an all-around good guy.

  Gunner had done the preliminary check on Rock and didn’t find anything. Kira needed Rock if she was going to have clients coming to the shop again. She hadn’t had private clients over to the shop since her grandpa had died. Two months of settling affairs and clients were wanting her back in business.

  “I’ll follow you,” Rock said as they went outside.

  Kira nodded her head, jumped in her truck and headed toward home. She glanced back in the rear-view mirror several times on the way home. Rock stayed just close enough that she knew she wouldn’t lose him and just far enough away that he wasn’t pressuring her to go faster or making her uncomfortable or nervous. She started to get that giddy feeling in her stomach. The one she usually got when she had made eye contact with the perfect Dom at a club. Rock definitely had the edge.

  Chapter 2

  Rock pulled his truck into the gravel drive and parked behind Kira. He looked over the area. Trees surrounded the property, making it feel cut off from the rest of the open space. A white-and-red barn was far off to the side of the property with a corral attached. A snow-covered pond was behind the barn. An enormous two-story machine shop was by the corral. The shop looked as old as the barn except for the steel reinforced sliding doors that appeared to be padlocked and a matching side door, also padlocked. A covered area to the side of the shop looked to be a dock for a semitrailer.

  There was a newer looking garage in front of him and a wide road that lead between the garage and machine shop. Rock glanced through the trees and could see two large Quonsets at the far corner of the property. One had a smoke stack, and from the steam coming from the building, he knew the building was heated.

  Rock looked again at the garage in front of him. He could make do with that. He could easily fit a bed and living space into the area. It looked like it was already wired with electricity so a small heater would at least keep the space warmer than outside. It was better than sleeping in his truck. He nodded his head. This would work just fine.

  Kira stood on the cement front step and looked to where Rock was looking. “You can get your truck in there. Mine fits just fine.”

  Rock turned and tilted his head looking at Kira as she nodded toward the house. Definitely not the response he was expecting.

  “Come on.” She smiled. “I’ll show you your room.”

  Rock smiled as he walked up the steps. Full of surprises this little girl. Of course she wouldn’t be shoving him into a garage. She had a space for him in the big house and a place for him to store his truck. This was not what he had been expecting when Matt had talked with him.

  Kira held the door open and Rock stepped into the entry. He looked into an enormous kitchen. Then he focused on Kira as she had started talking as she showed him around.

  “Closet,” Kira said opening a large sliding door to his right. “Your side.” Kira pointed to the empty side of the closet. She pointed to the left of the door. “Your fridge. I know that the man-camps have a no-liquor-no-drug rule and although I agree with the drugs rule, I do serve alcohol in my camp. So stock that as you please.”

  Rock smiled when she referred to her home as her camp.

  “We can share the kitchen,” Kira said as she entered the large space. “Just clean up after yourself.” She walked around the island bar and into the dining room. “We can share the table, too. I don’t use this bathroom often, so if you want to make this yours, feel free.”

  Rock nodded his head as she opened the door just off the island and headed downstairs.

  “There are two bedrooms and a bathroom down here but the washer and dryer is also down here,” Kira continued as she showed him the machines, bathroom, and both of the bedrooms. There was also a large living area complete with sectional sofa and flat screen TV. “I have friends that come over occasionally and these rooms are directly below the living room and kitchen. I wouldn’t want to wake you so I thought I’d give you the attic and keep these rooms for guests.”

  Rock nodded his head as she opened a door that led into a large cement cellar. Two deep freezers were against the far wall and shelves lined the other walls. All sorts of canned goods were on the shelves, a gunny sack full of potatoes, bags of dried onions, carrots, and celery.

  “I’ve got the meat on order,” Kira said as she opened one of the freezers that was completely empty. “I like to use everything before I get more. I have a full cow, pig, and ten chickens coming. This other freezer is for store-bought stuff.” She opened the other freezer and it was over half full. “Feel free to eat anything you want. Just let me know if it’s the last of something so I can get more. Growing up, we’ve been stranded out here, with roads closed, for weeks during a blizzard. I like to always have way more food than I need.”

  Kira led Rock up the stairs and back into the kitchen. He hadn’t said much so she decided to show him the attic and his room. She led the way back to the entry and to a door opposite of the closet. “These stairs are pretty steep,” she cautioned as she made her way up them and flipped on a light switch.

  Rock looked around the area. It was divided into three areas around the beams of the roof. There was a desk tucked into a corner with a work light, along with a recli
ner in one of the sections that had no window. A sofa and TV was in another section that had a window. She opened the door to an area that was enclosed and a cozy bedroom was opposite the living area. It too had a small window.

  “This is where I lived most of my life,” Kira said as she looked around the area. “It’s quiet, cozy, and you can come and go as you please with the stairs going right down to the entry.”

  “I didn’t expect it to be furnished,” Rock said as he looked at the queen-sized bed with the intricate metal headboard. There was a metal shelf that matched and an antique dresser that had been refinished in dark stain. The handles had been replaced to match the shelf and headboard.

  “I can remove the things if you want,” Kira offered.

  Rock shook his head and looked around the bedroom. He was drawn to the headboard. It was handmade, gothic, and sturdy. He touched a couple of the patterns and noticed the meticulous weld marks on the metal. “What did you say you did in the Marines?”

  “I didn’t say really,” Kira said, lowering her gaze. “But I was a welder. Worked on the tanks and other machines.”

  Now that was a surprise. Rock smiled a full smile and turned to look at Kira again. Her small frame in the doorway pleased him. He liked that she had kept the area furnished. She had lived here once, too, so it wasn’t just sticking someone away in an outbuilding. He cautioned himself to be gentle. She was nearly ten years younger than him and he would need to be very careful. She seemed a little frightened and scared just having him in the house.

  “Where do you sleep now?” Rock asked.

  “I wanted to show you your part of the house first,” Kira said as she went first down the stairs.

  “So now I will see your part of the house?” Rock asked. Of course she would keep him at a distance. She didn’t know him. Rock smiled at this challenge. He had seen the submissive side of Kira the moment he sat down at her table in the café. Oh, how he loved this dance between submissive and Dominant. He reminded himself to keep his eye on the early retirement but his hormones had suddenly come to life and couldn’t help but suddenly view every smooth surface as a perfect place to have sex with her.